Schools in Mombasa that excelled in the just-announced 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams have attributed their good performance to the new grading system the government introduced.
The Ministry of Education unveiled a new grading system whereby only two mandatory subjects are required for computing the main grade.
The mandatory subjects are mathematics and one language (English, Kiswahili or sign language).
In addition to the two mandatory subjects, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) will have to consider any other five best-performed subjects by the candidate.
Speaking to the media while celebrating the good performance of the school, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed School Principal, Sheikh Rishad Rajab, thanked the government for the new grading system, saying that it is student-oriented and attributed to the school’s good performance.
Rajab said that last year, the school had seven straight A’s with a mean score of 9.0 and a 96.7 percent transition to university, compared to this year, where there were nine As.
He added that this year the school had a total of 210 candidates: 109 boys and 101 girls.
“We are hoping for a mean score of 9.5 and a 100 per cent transition to the university, but we are looking at 98 to 99 points, because one of our students has scored a C plain,” he said.
Lamu Governor’s son, Abdallah Issa Timamy, 18, is among the top students at Sheik Khalifa Bin Zayed School.
He scored an A of 83 points in the just-released KCSE exams and aspires to become a lawyer.
He attributed his success to hard work, dedication and teamwork between teachers, parents and students.
Issa also hailed the new grading system by the government, saying students are now impressed as they are given enough choices of the type of subjects to pick.
He further urged students to also participate in the school’s co-curricular activities, saying not all students are good in academics.
Issa was a member of the school’s swimming and science clubs.
The Principal lauded him for his good performance and discipline, saying that he has proven that not all politicians’ children are spoilt as many assume.
At Lights Academy, the top students, Nuru Seyd and Mohammed Ahmed, scored straight A’s of 82 points.
Seyd wants to become an architect.
Nuru’s father, Seyd Abubakar, thanked the school for its support and for working in unison with the parents in helping students get good results.
The Principal, Yerkin Kavjanov, said the school had a mean score of 10.2 and a total of 66 candidates.
He said he is thrilled that his school is one of the top schools at the coast and attributed the success to students are cooperation with teachers.
By Chari Suche
